A quick turnaround to Tuesday night Isthmian League action, with a buoyant Hendon side travelling down to the South Coast to face AFC Portchester in an intriguing matchup. Kick off 7:45pm.

Need to know

Founded: 1971

Nickname: The Royals

Manager: Gav Spurway

League: Isthmian League - South Central Division

Stadium: The Wicor Recreation Ground

Capacity: 1500

Hendon

The winning feeling has returned to Silver Jubilee Park, as The Dons look forward to Tuesday nights away day with a 1-nil win in the bag over Horndean. A late second half strike from talisman Niko Muir was enough to edge past a spirited Horndean side.

Following a long 79 minutes where both teams pushed and probed, it would be a mistake that led to Horndeans undoing, as a Deans defender failed to clear and the ball fell to Muir, who free as a bird calmly slotted it into the left corner.

Greens gaffer Ben Bukowski made a flurry of changes from the cup game in the week. In came the six of Dixon-Smith, Cole, Muir, Gordon, Krokhin and Diedhiou replacing players who impressed on Wednesday night, such as Stirling and Grey.

However, Ben has been sticking to the same formation and in turn his philosophy, with the back 3 being an integral part of how The Dons are playing now. All three centre-halves were solid against Horndean and were organised throughout. New signing Kyron Richards continues to impress each game, holding the width on the right side.

Man of the match Victor Ferrinis versatility gives Ben great options in case he wants to rotate the team, whilst the dangerous front three of Keagan, Niko and Flo are a sight to behold when in full flow. There are constant combinations between the three and they all complement each other stylistically, since Niko holds the ball up excellently, Keagan is the creative spark in the pockets and Flo stretches defensive with his skill and acceleration.

Barring no injuries, Ben will most likely look to keep the same side and that should be enough to overwhelm the home side, who play a rigid 4-4-2 that will hopefully struggle to cope with our overloads in all areas of the pitch.

Opposition

It is yet another historic game this coming Tuesday, with our Greens facing off against AFC Portchester for the first time. Being one of the more recently founded clubs in the division, a game against Portchester is an exciting proposition, with The Royals only recently being promoted from the Wessex Premier Division.

The 2024/25 season will go down as a landmark chapter in AFC Portchesters history. Under the leadership of Gav Spurway, The Royals not only clinched the Wessex Premier Division title and earned promotion into Step 4 football, but they also completed a remarkable quadruple by adding the Wessex League Cup, Russell Cotes Cup, and Portsmouth Senior Cup to their trophy haul.

Portchester boasted the highest points-per-game ratio among more than 1,000 clubs across Englands top ten tiers, including the Premier League. Their dominance was underscored by an almost flawless league campaign, suffering just a single defeat.

The Royals claim to have one of the best non-league facilities along the South Coast, with The Wicor Recreation Ground boasting multiple covered terracing, seated stands and four function suites. The club have also just announced they have received planning permission to install their own 3G pitch, which will see a state-of-the-art all-weather pitch and would be completed by next season.

Despite the heroic efforts of last season, Portchester havent had it all their own way this season, with the step up into step 4 football proving to be a challenge for the Hampshire club.

Results of late have taken a turn for the better recently, with three wins out of their last five games. The most recent was a victory on the weekend at home to Ascot United as The Royals came out 2-0 winners, thanks to Lee Wort with an early brace in the first half.

Last five results

Hendon

Hendon 1-0 Horndean

QPR U21s 1-1 Hendon (QPR W Pens) 2-1

Hendon 1-4 Bognor Regis Town

Harrow Borough 4-1 Hendon

Dulwich Hamlet 0-1 Hendon

AFC Portchester

Portchester 2-0 Ascot United

Portchester 2-3 Westfield

Raynes Park 3-0 Portchester

Portchester 3-0 Hartley

Portchester 2-1 Taunton Town

Club Honours

Wessex League Premier Division Winners 2024-25

Hampshire Senior Cup Winners 2023-24

Wessex League Cup Winners 2014-15, 2017-18, 2024-25

Wessex League Charity Cup Winners 2023-24

Russell Cotes Cup Winners 2013-14, 2016-17, 2024-25

Portsmouth Senior Cup Winners 2024-25.

Hampshire League Division - Division 1 Winners 2001-02

Opposition Gaffer

AFC Portchester boss Gav Spurway was able to spur on his Royals to achieving their promotion dream, after taking charge in the summer of 2024.

Spurway was initially an assistant for 3 years prior to taking the hot seat, previously shadowing former manager Dave Carter. Moreover, Spurway has been in the non-league game for quite a while now and played for Carter at both Horndean and Moneyfields.

Looking back on his team last season after the final game of the season, Spurway was eager to stress the importance of his teams work ethic and that is exactly the foundation of which he has built his success. A tough, dogged team that likes to fight for every ball, Spurway likes to play the percentages game and is not afraid to put substance over style.

One to watch

Prolific number 9 Lee Wort will want to add to his 5-goal tally this season, with the striker netting 4 goals in his last three games. Wort is in a hot vein of form, so Big Dave and his fellow defenders will have their work cut out and will need to pay close attention to his movement.

Although he is not the quickest, Wort has a knack of getting in front of defenders, whether that be making darting runs into the channels or pouncing on the end of crosses.

Early on this season Wort was subject to having a viral moment, whereby a rabona goal he scored in an FA Cup qualifier against Moneyfields went viral all-over social media, with the video being viewed more than 2 million times.

Written by Kyle Bodker